Nicole Schafer

Nicole Schafer

“Don’t be afraid to fail, the only ones who fail are the ones who do not even try.”

Where are you from? Where do you live now?

I’m from Switzerland and live there as well, but I’m traveling the world for several months each year to explore our beautiful planet, meet interesting people and cultures.

What do you have for breakfast in the morning?

Depending which time I get up and what the plan for the day is. If I will spent the day outside, which is pretty often, then I love to eat some scrambled eggs mixed with different vegetables and a fruit juice. On a office day I often eat bread with jam or nothing till lunchtime.

What words / motto / advice do you live by?

Use your smile to change the world, don’t let the world change your smile
do what you love – love what you do.

What one or two things do you currently do in your training that are keys to your success?

Don’t be afraid to fail, the only ones who fail are the ones who do not even try. I challenge myself in my job and everyday life. First I was only taking still images and I wanted something new and tried out working with moving images and I just love it. The beginning was not easy, the most important is to evolve and keep pushing yourself. Working with other people is also a great way to learn from each other and with all the different skills you can create something great as a team.
Other than photography and filming, I climb 2-3 times a week, go running and just enjoy being in the nature and do fun stuff. Being active is something which is very important for me.

Who do you look up to in your profession and why?

Jimmy Chin is definitely one of my favorite photographers, filmmakers and mountaineers.
Documenting itself is not that easy and combined with the extreme environments he often is working in, is just amazing.
But there are also a lot of other people and friends who inspire me.

Favorite music / podcasts / shows / games / books?

I love listening to Ted Talks while driving or just random music. It can vary from Rock to Hip Hop to Instrumental/orchestra, Really depending my mood.

I will attend the Red Bull BC One World final and hopefully the extremsportsveko in Norway.

If someone wanted to start learning your craft, how do you recommend they get started? Resources?

Grab a camera, take pictures of the stuff you love, you do and keep doing it. Learning by doing is the best and maybe a basic course might be helpful, to get started and creating something you will like.